In less than a week, a new era of Tennessee baseball will begin. With head coach Tony Vitello off to manage the MLB’s San Francisco Giants, Josh Elander was promoted to take over the role.
Despite years of experience as an assistant coach with the Vols, Chris Phillips of SEC Unfiltered is hung up on his inexperience as a head coach. He released a ranking of all 16 SEC head coaches and named Elander as the worst one.
“Do I think Josh Elander finishes at 16? No, I do not.” Phillips said. “But here’s the reality: he’s never been a head coach before. It’s kind of like Michael Early last year, we had him at 16. Why did we have him at 16, guys? Well, because he had never been a head coach. How can I say Josh Elander is better than a guy who has been a head coach and has won games in the league?”
2026 SEC Baseball Head Coach Rankings via @CPhilly19
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/PxFdE7iZAs
— SEC Unfiltered (@SECUnfiltered) February 6, 2026
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Elander has been on staff under Vitello at UT since 2018. He joined as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator and held that position until 2022. Then, he was named the associate head coach, along with his recruiting coordinator role.
The Vols get the season started this Friday, Feb. 13, against Nicholls. That’ll be a three-game set before Tennessee welcomes in UNC Asheville the following Tuesday. Then, it’s another three-game series with Kent State ahead of a matchup with Bellarmine on Tuesday.
That paves the way for the first big tests of the year. Tennessee will play in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series against UCLA, Arizona State and Virginia Tech, beginning on Friday, Feb. 27, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
One Response
WE CAN SEE WHAT JOSH HAS LEARNED FROM THE BEST. HE MUST GET HIS OWN IDENTITY BUT RELY ON WHAT HE HAS LEARNED. WISHING HIM THE BEST.